Maritime Legislation, STCW, MARPOL, SOLAS and Survey Requirements
What this domain tests
This domain tests the legal framework an engineer officer of the watch works inside: STCW certification and rest hours, MARPOL annex controls and record books, SOLAS certification and surveys, and the interface with class and port state control.
STCW
- The engineer officer in charge of a watch holds a certificate of competency under STCW regulation III/1, with valid medical fitness, basic safety training and the required seagoing service.
- Rest hours: at least 10 hours in any 24-hour period and 77 hours in any seven-day period, with at least one rest period of 6 hours continuous and no more than two rest periods per day.
- Fitness for duty is a personal obligation; a watchkeeper who is unfit must report it before taking over.
MARPOL
- Annex I: discharge of bilge water only through the 15 ppm equipment, with the ship on passage; the oil record book Part I is completed without delay, in ink, signed by the officer in charge and each completed page by the master. Sludge and oily waste transfers are also recorded.
- Annex V: garbage record book and garbage management plan; Annex VI: sulphur limits of 0.50% globally and 0.10% in emission control areas, met by compliant fuel, an approved scrubber or alternative arrangement, with NOx tiers proved through the EIAPP certificate.
SOLAS, surveys and port state control
- Cargo ships carry the Cargo Ship Safety Construction, Equipment and Radio certificates, supported by records of surveys and conditions of class.
- Surveys are annual, intermediate and renewal, alongside class and flag requirements; conditions of class must be cleared by their due date.
- Port state control checks certificates first, then records, then the plant; the detainable findings are often operational, such as an unrecorded oil record book entry or an unserviceable fire pump.
Worked example
A watchkeeper works 08:00–12:00 and 20:00–24:00, then attends a three-hour drill in the afternoon. Rest in the 24 hours is 24 − 8 − 3 = 13 hours, above the 10-hour minimum, and no rest period falls below 6 hours continuous. It is compliant only if the seven-day total stays at or above 77 hours and the drills did not split a rest period below 6 hours. Reasoning: check the 24-hour limit, the seven-day limit and the continuous block every time.
Traps that cost marks
Back-dating record book entries; applying the 0.50% sulphur limit inside an emission control area; treating a class recommendation as optional; assuming drills and training count as rest; believing a certificate excuses an operational defect.
Key points
- Rest hours: 10 in 24, 77 in 7 days, 6 hours continuous